Kyle McCarthy placed on injured reserve

Broncos rookie safety Kyle McCarthy was driven to the team bus Sunday evening on a cart, a sure sign of just how severe the knee injury he suffered on the final play of the first half was.

Sure enough, the team announced Monday morning that McCarthy will go on the injured reserve list, ending his season. The team has not yet made a move to fill his roster spot.

The injury to McCarthy hurts the Broncos’ depth at safety, where starter Brian Dawkins remains out with a knee injury and backup Darcel McBath has missed multiple games. Interim head coach Eric Studesville said he expects McBath to return for Sunday’s game at Oakland. David Bruton, who has started the last two games, had significant pain in his ribs after the game in Arizona.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.